Thursday, September 21, 2006

This year 2006 world cup finals are being held in Germany and it promises to be a very exciting and entertaining event. The tournament which only takes place every four years is in my opinion the biggest sporting event which takes place. It means everything to all of the players taking part as well as to the supporters.

USA is one disappointing teams losing to Czechs 3-0, drawing to Italy the eventually world chamption 1-1 and finally lost to Ghana 2-1. After the first round exit the American soccer team fell from 5th to 16th in the FIFA World rankings.

England is one best team to watch. They play a very good attacking and defence game but lack the finish touch and their poor penalty takker.

Brazil is one of the team to watch but lost to France in the semi.

This year world cup we saw all the the European country in the semi and the final.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Italy became fifa world ranking numbers two after won the fifa world cup in the year 2006 by beating France 2-0 in the finals. Brazil still remains world ranking numbers one after losing to France in the semi-finals. Germany as a host losing to Italy in the semi-finals and beating portugal for third placing stay in 9th position.

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

From cannon fodder to credible opponents, Lithuania's reputation as a football nation is growing by the day. Saturday's 1-1 draw with Italy was another benchmark of the dramatic progress they have made, but there are plenty of others.Three and a half years ago, when Berti Vogts' side lost 1-0 in Kaunas, Lithuania were 97th in the FIFA world rankings compared to Scotland's 59. A steady improvement under Walter Smith has brought Scotland up 19 places to 40, but Lithuania have shown even greater signs of progress, jumping 32 places to 65th.

Liutauras Varanavicius, the president of the Lithuanian FA, welcomed the improvement at national level but feels the most significant work is being done at grassroots in a country where basketball has historically been the main sport. "People who are working inside football can see the great progress we have made," he said. "The effect has been felt not only in our ranking, but in the standard of coaching and the development of players. "We have managed to increase participation levels by 40% over the last four years and last year they [participation levels]

reached the same as basketball for the first time. "Those who are playing in the national team are products of long-term investment which was undertaken before independence. But the products of the work we have done in recent years are seen in our 14 and 15-year-olds, of whom the standard is very high." Government-funded training facilities and investment has been the bedrock of Lithuania's development and the country has started to make its name as an exporter of talent. Around half of the squad play overseas, including four Hearts players – Saulius Mikoliunas, Deividas Cesnauskis, Marius Zaliukas and Edgaras Jankauskas, who is the country's most famous export, but will miss out tonight through injury.

The sport that enjoys huge popular appeal is baseball, unsurprising given that more than a hundred Dominican peloteros are presently lighting up the Big Leagues in the USA. After that comes basketball, volleyball, athletics, and only then football. "Although that's the reality," says Guzmán, "in Venezuela, another country with a huge baseball culture, football has made inroads. I believe it will happen here too."

Support and encouraging signsLocal officials, working tirelessly to accelerate the growth of football in the Dominican Republic, have found an ally and helping hand in FIFA. In 2005, under the auspices of FIFA's Com-Unity Programme, delegates agreed on the need for better marketing and communication initiatives to develop the sport. Speaking at the time, Guzmán said: "This (programme) will mark a watershed in the history of our football."

Early signs of progress can be seen in the development of the national U-20 side, who have just qualified for the second phase of the CONCACAF qualifying tournament for the FIFA U-20 World Cup to be held in Canada next year. Particularly impressive have been Kerbi Rodríguez and Jonathan Fana, two talented youngsters with bright futures. Unfortunately, the team's success has generated little interest in the local media.

Current national team coach Ljubomir Crnokrak is also aware of what the sport is up against. "It's clear that we lack financial resources, but these youngsters have real quality. The potential for Dominican football is enormous. Yet for all of that, the papers give us no coverage. Even one or two lines a week would be an additional motivation for the players," said the Croat.

Despite a lack of friendlies, the Quisqueyanos are confidently looking ahead to the Copa Caribe Digicel 2007, which serves as the qualifying tournament for the CONCACAF Gold Cup USA 2007. In their first-round Group C games, scheduled for 26-30 September, the team will take on Bermuda (http://25worldcountry.blogspot.com/), the British Virgin Islands (167th) and the US Virgin Islands (193rd). To keep their qualifying dreams alive, they must finish among the top two. Long term, though, their goal remains a historic first appearance at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

For some nations, moving up the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking to position number 171 would be of little significance. But for all those working to help the beautiful game grow in the Dominican Republic, the news is encouraging, particularly for those dreaming of one day seeing their beloved Quisqueyanos at the finals of a FIFA World Cup™.

The President of the Dominican Football Federation (DFF), Osiris Guzmán, has said on numerous occasions: "If Haiti can reach the World Cup, then we can too." It was thus in 2004, after the national team had crashed out of the qualifiers for Germany 2006 at the hands of eventual finalists Trinidad and Tobago, that Guzmán laid the foundation stone of a ten-year plan aimed at qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Teething troublesOne of the main problems with football in the Caribbean nation is that it is a relatively new sport and still to flourish at grassroots level. With the DFF founded as recently as 1953 and only affiliated to FIFA in 1959, it was not until 1965 that football reached the schools and playing grounds of the Dominican Republic, thanks in the main to the efforts of Fortunato Quispe Mendoza. From an infrastructure standpoint, it was also Mendoza who established the various playing categories and set up the country's first division championship.

In spite of these efforts, today football remains the country's fifth most popular sport. As well as being a relatively new discipline for the Dominicans, efforts to nurture the sport have not been helped by the lack of success of the national team, who have still to qualify for any tournament of significance at either senior or youth level, and a national league that struggles to attract a viewing audience or fan base.